Pullman Restores Rail Cars for 1st-Class US Rail Travel

After our glorious experience riding Canada’s luxury Rocky Mountaineer Railway last year, we were very excited to hear that the Pullman Sleeping Car Company announced yesterday the launch of Pullman Rail Journeys.

Luxury baby boomer travelers love to travel aboard luxury rail lines, and unfortunately, the United States has been severely lacking in that department.

The Pullman Rail Journeys will be a first-class, standalone rail experience in artfully and fully restored Pullman Rail Cars, on a scheduled basis between Chicago and New Orleans via the Illinois Central line, The Main Line of Mid-America.

Luxury Rail Service Between Chicago and New Orleans

A pre-inaugural journey departs Union Station in Chicago on Monday, October 29, 2012 and six inaugural departures are scheduled beginning Friday, November 2, 2012.

“Pullman rail cars and service are an iconic piece of American history that evoke memories of an era when the essence of rail travel was the journey itself, not just transportation to be endured en route to a destination,” said Ed Ellis, president of Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC, the parent company of the Pullman Sleeping Car Company, LLC. “Backed by Iowa Pacific Holding’s hundreds of collective years in rail industry management and a deep knowledge of the ideal train experience, Pullman Rail Journeys revives the first-class, overnight rail experience and offers discerning rail aficionados a truly unparalleled opportunity to experience the Pullman quality of travel in the USA.”

The Roaming Boomers® wish Pullman Rail Journeys great success. We believe there is a great market for luxury rail travel in the United States, and we’re hoping that Pullman can fill the void.

Who knows, maybe you’ll even see The Roaming Boomers® riding the luxurious rails with Pullman Rail Journeys in the near future. In fact, we think it would be fun to bring a few of our baby boomers friends along with us.

We just took the PRJ from New Orleans to Chicago June 27-it was great- all the whiners and nay Sayers on the rail blogs just want it to fail. It was a thousand times better than Amtrak ever was. The observation car was so worth it as was the food. Accommodations were adequate- still sl small space. I may try the berths on another trip in future. I’ll Prob never travel Amtrak if I can avoid it